SALINEVILLE Police chief shoots, kills rampaging bull

The animal charged the cruiser in an attempt to ram it. By NORMAN LEIGH VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU SALINEVILLE -- Until recently, it had been a while since Dale Myers, 63, had sprinted nearly 100 yards. But he did so Wednesday, his inspiration being the charging bull at his heels. Myers went outside his 200 Summitville Road home around 8:30 a.m. to corral what he thought was a cow that had escaped from its pen. He discovered too late it was a bull. "I didn't realize it was a bull until I was right on top of it," Myers recalled today. "That's no bull," he added, chuckling. The bull charged, and Myers fled. "I was lucky to get back in the house," he recalled. "I've got bad hips." As he ran, Myers said he could hear the rampaging bull breathing behind him. The bull then wandered into Woodland Cemetery, next to Myers' home on Summitville Road. What happened next: By now, police had been called and intercepted the animal at the cemetery, which was being visited by an elderly couple. Police Chief Michael Abraham drove his cruiser into the cemetery and parked it between the nearly 700-pound Jersey bull and the couple. The bull charged the cruiser, aiming its horns at the driver's side door where Abraham was sitting. Abraham killed the bull with a single shot from his .45-caliber handgun when the animal was about 20 feet from the cruiser. The bullet struck the bull between the eyes, dropping and killing it immediately, Abraham said. "Our object was to stop the bull before it got into the populated area of the town," he added. "It posed a threat" to people. Abraham said he consulted with a veterinarian Monday to determine what might have caused the bull to go on the rampage. The cause is unclear, though rabies is not suspected, Abraham said. Police determined that the animal belonged to George Surmaceviz, 238 Summitville Road. The bull had broken out of an area surrounded by an electric fence, Abraham said.